Publishers Weekly
04/08/2024
Freitas (The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano) conjures a Barcelona summer via lush sensory detail in this foodie rom-com. Seventeen-year-old aspiring pastry chef Stefi is vacationing in her mother’s native Catalonia. While consuming the best omelet she’s ever eaten in the marketplace, La Boqueria, she meets 18-year-old Xavier, a tapas proprietor’s son. Stefi is eager for a summer fling to help her get over her cheating ex-boyfriend. Xavi, meanwhile, contends with intense pressures he can’t share with Stefi: he is the secret love child of King Alfonso, and heir to the Spanish throne. As Santiago, Xavi’s 19-year-old royal guard, tries desperately to keep them apart, Stefi and Xavi fall in love in “sunny, buttery Barcelona.” But with Xavi’s scheming ex-girlfriend and a ruthless gossip magazine reporter in the mix, their relationship—and their privacy—may be too much for their young guard to defend. Freitas occasionally employs stilted declarative prose to ferry the near-perfect characters along on their fairy tale–like romance while Xavi’s secret identity drives the central conflict. A queer romantic subplot and tensions between Catalonia and the Madrid government add depth to this beatific romance. Ages 13–up. Agent: Miriam Altschuler, Miriam Altschuler Literary. (July)
From the Publisher
"Perfect for fans American Royals and Love & Gelato, this magical summer read will transport you." — Kass Morgan, New York Times bestselling author of The 100
"Stefi and The Spanish Prince is a dreamy (and steamy!) escape to Barcelona, full of rich descriptions of the city's food, people, and culture. It'll leave you feeling hungry—for romance, and tapas." — Jordyn Taylor, award-winning author of The Paper Girl of Paris and The Revenge Game
"Stefi and the Spanish Prince transports you to Spain with beautiful prose, delicious eats, and a love story that shimmers off the page." — Alex Light, author of The Upside of Falling
"Stefi and the Spanish Prince transported me to a world I didn't want to leave—a heart-fluttering royal romance set amidst the mouthwatering pastries and paella and art and architecture of the magical city of Barcelona. Donna Freitas' characters have the sizzling chemistry of a perfect summer swoony romance." — Julia DeVillers
"[A] beatific romance." — Publishers Weekly
"Readers will delight in the many romance tropes. Spain, with its rich culture and summer heat, is fully developed as a setting Will satisfy romance fans. A light, lovely read." — Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
2024-04-20
Stefi’s summer in Barcelona involves romance, surprises, blackmail—and an entanglement with Spanish royalty.
Her time abroad in Spain is a chance for 17-year-old Stefi, who has an American dad and a Catalán mom, to start over. Leaving the U.S. on the heels of a bitter breakup, the aspiring pastry chef follows her passion for baking to a course at a culinary institute. She meets handsome Xavi at La Buena, his mother’s food stall in the city’s famous La Boqueria market. Xavi is the secret heir to the Spanish throne, a bona fide prince. As blond Stefi and blue-eyed “hot Viking warrior” Xavi get to know each other, his secret identity hangs between them. Readers will delight in the many romance tropes Freitas includes: tragic misunderstandings, awkward moments that endear lovers to each other, and vile exes who threaten to break up a blossoming romance. Spain, with its rich culture and summer heat, is fully developed as a setting thanks to the inclusion of details such as its Mediterranean beaches and the running of the bulls in Pamplona. Xavi’s undercover bodyguard, Santiago, has a swoonworthy romance with Xavi’s friend Diego. Though the story starts off slowly and would benefit from faster pacing, it will satisfy romance fans.
A light, lovely read that leans heavily on genre truisms. (Romance. 13-18)
